Miami Moonlight
by UltraLordSupreme
Summary: "You can be less than perfect, and still be deserving of compassion and kindness. You're never alone and someone in the world loves you very, very much." Then he slides his hand over my cheek, one finger anchored behind my ear. Then he tilts his head down and brushes his lips against mine. "I love you Ally," he whispers.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Ally Dawson was a strange girl. She naturally loved vast places, solitary silences, and being alone. However, she was known as the sweet-neighborly girl, and she absolutely _hated _it.

According to her family, friends, teachers, and even little old ladies crossing the streets; she was a "clever young lady who specialized in helping others and had a smile that never failed."

But she wanted to be different this year, she wanted to be the person who she thought she really was. So as she stepped through the doors of Miami High that humid morning for the first time, officially marking the start of her junior year; she promised herself that by the end of the year, she would finally fulfill her goal of being known as that "tough chick"; finally show people who the real Ally Dawson was, and to never be known as that "cute" little girl ever again. She was sure of it.

Well, Ally Dawson was wrong.

_Austin's P.O.V._

It was the start of another school year at the worst high school ever. Was I happy about it? Let's just say I'd rather be home, _and that's saying something._

The same old boring people, the same old boring teachers, the same old pointless reasons. Really, all I do at school is stare at all the plastic.

Girls pretending to be friends with each other, boys trying to act tough, and teachers getting paid to teach a whole new generation of dumbasses. Really, never _once_ have I met someone who was truly compassionate about what they were doing. Who was truly after something worth living for. Who understood what the concept of survival truly meant.

Now as you're reading this, you're probably thinking, "_What is he saying?" _You'll find out eventually. Really, you will. However I do warn you, the answer to that question is probably "too dramatic" for your everyday, nonsensical teenage problems (like not getting enough likes for your selfie); but if you truly want to know the answer, then keep reading, because the story starts here. When she walked through those doors.

_Well more like fell._

**A/N: yeah ok so the prologue sucked a lot but trust me this story isn't about how Ally wants to be a tough girl blah blah blah...that's too cliche. If you keep reading it actually gets better lol(:**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ally's P.O.V.

My first day at Miami High did not start well. Literally.

When I pulled open those doors, I reminded myself that this was a new town. A new start. A new life. I was never going to be known as that nice little girl anymore, no; I was going to be the hardcore, rebellious, but smart and sneaky queen bee.

The next second however, I found myself lying on the cold hard ground. I looked up and noticed that everyone was laughing, giving me pouty faces, or looking at me like I was some helpless puppy.

"What a _great _start," I muttered to myself. My first day and I was already making a fool of myself!

I quickly stood up, gathering all my notebooks and ran to my locker; running as far away as I could from the crowd that got the wrong first impression of me. However, that's when _he _ came.

Well, more like "bumped".

Sure, you bump into people in the hallways. However this wasn't just a small shove. Let's just say I fell for the second time that day, and it hadn't even been five minutes yet!

The worst part was he actually had the nerve to blame _me _for it! HOW FAIR WAS THAT! I was just a girl, trying to avoid embarrassment. I was just a girl, innocently locating her locker. I was just a girl, trying to survive the intricate science that is "high school hallways". I WAS JUST A GIRL, LIKE EVERY OTHER ONE HE BUMPED INTO! And he chose _me _pick on?

"Umm, excuse me?" was all I was able to say, because trust me, I could have said _much_ worse. "I need to get to my locker."

"Well next time maybe you should use something you call _eyes,_ in case you didn't know you had some," he said with a roll of his eyes.

What. A. Jerk.

"Whatever," I said, walking ahead and hoping I would never have to see him again.

But just like my hopes of becoming that tough rebellious Ally, I knew that they would only remain "hopes".

Austin's P.O.V.

Lunch on the first day was just like any other day. Everyone stayed in their usual groups, too afraid to approach those who they _knew_ they had common interests with, however was too scared about what their friends might think of them.

This was high school. A student body consisting of wimpy, lifeless nobodies. Students that only cared about the social aspect of life, not really noticing the gift of free education placed in front of them, and all the opportunities that came with it.

That's why I, Austin Moon, keep to myself. Everyone I've ever talked to, anyone who I've ever had the unfortunate luck of being paired up with for a project, heck; everyone I've ever came in close proximity with, was always the same old average teenager, the breed of human species that I _hated_.

Teenagers were whiney, spoiled, and oblivious.

That's why at lunch that day, I pretended that the table I was sitting at had no vacancy. I placed my school bags where people should have been sitting, pretending that those spots were actually taken. When in reality, I just didn't want any company.

All was well. I managed to finish my food with no human distractions. But did that lunch go human-distraction free? Well it would have, if it weren't for that new girl (yeah, the one that bumped into me in the hallways).

"Can I sit here?" she asked.

"No," I replied.

Then she did something no one in the history of people-looking-for-a-table-to-sit-at-at-Miami-High had ever done before: she hit me. With a book. _A hard-cover one._

Now you probably think I'm a wimp, thinking that a tough guy like me could possibly get hurt by a book. Well I'm not a wimp. It wasn't the physical pain that hurt me; it was the _element of surprise_ that punched me in the face.

Sure I've been abused my whole life by my dad, but I always knew when his punches were coming. But this girl, she was different. She was strange. She was annoying. But most of all, she was _dangerous. _

And I liked it.

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Austin and Ally and all writing is my own.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Ally's P.O.V.**

_I hit him. _I thought to myself. I actually _hit _him.

But the weirdest thing was: _he didn't care._

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I yelled, not even caring if everyone in the cafeteria was basically staring at us, like this was some sort of show. "I _hurt_ you! You should be retaliating! You should be yelling back! _Don't you think I'm tough?" _

I didn't even try to hide the desperation in my voice in that last sentence. I mean, I just hit someone! With a book! Wasn't that bad enough?

"So is this is what it's about?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face. "Sit, we have a _lot _to talk about."

I don't know what made me sit (I'm pretty sure it wasn't just gravity), I mean, yes I completely hated this douche; but there was just something about him (and NO it wasn't the scent of his shampoo which I admit, smelt quite like wonderland), no; he was _mysterious. _He was like a mystery book in disguise as a human, and just like all mystery books I've ever read, I wanted the answers.

This blonde boy was a mystery. He was a mystery I wanted very much to crack.

Maybe that's why I pushed the bags off the seats next to him. Maybe that's why I sat down. Maybe that's why I said, "Carry on."

**Austin's P.O.V.**

Ally Dawson's hair was shoulder length, wavy, and mousy brown. She had the eyes that, when you stared into them, it was like looking into a whole new universe and forgetting you were in one yourself. She was short (or maybe I was just tall), but if there was only one thing I could describe to you about her, it was that she had the determination that would intimidate even Dracula himself.

Of course however, I did not tell her this.

"Austin?" Ally asked, snapping me out of my trance. I must have been staring at her again.

"Yeah? Oh right um… sorry," I muttered.

"I was asking you if you wanted to walk home with me, since you mentioned you lived near the zoo too."

"Oh right," I said, realizing that I didn't leave near the zoo, yet alone had a _home _(a proper one anyways, but I'll get to that later). "Yeah sure!"

"Great, see you later then!" she said, scurrying away to her next class.

I didn't know how it happened really. One moment Ally Dawson and I are archenemies, the next, we're friends?

I mean, sure we shared a great conversation during lunch. I realized that maybe there was still some genuine people in this world. But there was still a voice lingering in the back of my mind, telling me that maybe this was all just a joke, a dare. That Ally Dawson was just messing with me, like all the other kids in school did. After all, she did hit me with a book.

But Ally Dawson _stayed. _That was it, she _stayed. _She didn't leave because she was scared of me, and what people would describe as my "dark demeanor". She didn't give me a look of disapproval at my shaggy torn up clothes, and bed-head hair. She didn't even flinch when I used some rather unpleasant words to describe the human race. She looked past all the physical characteristics and looked at what truly mattered, the essence of the human being in itself.

She accepted and respected me, as flawed as I might be, as unattractive as I feel, and as broken as I think I am. And even though I was a total douche to her in the hallway that morning, she never gave up, she never walked away. And I liked her for it.

Wait, I can't like her! _Can I?_

**I PROMISE ALL THE GOOD STUFF HAPPENS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER SORRY IT'S BEEN SO BORING BUT PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WANT TO SEE MAYBE I'LL INCLUDE IT!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Austin and Ally and all writing is my own.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ally's P.O.V.

I kept replaying the conversation I had with Austin in math class today. Did we have a great conversation? Absolutely.

There was just something _intriguing _about him. It was like there was so much more to him that I didn't know about. So for about the millionth time that day, I replayed the conversation we had over lunch.

"So," he said, as I sat down beside him, "Let me guess, your trying to act tough?"

"No! I mean, what are you trying to suggest?" I said.

He chuckled and leaned back against his chair, staring at me like I was a five-year-old who was just starting to ask questions. "I've seen it all before new girl, you're just like one of _them."_

What did he mean I was just one of them? He must have deciphered the look on my face because he just rolled on and answered my question; it was like we were saying things just by looking at each other.

"Look around you new girl, what do you see?" he asked.

"People," I said, like it was the easiest question in the world.

But the look on his face told me that I might as well have proclaimed I was the stupidest person in the entire universe; it looked like he was questioning why he was even talking to me in the first place.

"Look again," he said. This time I really did look, most importantly however, I also _saw. _

There is a difference. There really is. Sure I was looking at people, what they wore, how tall they were, how they looked like when they laughed.

But this time I _saw_. I saw how their eyes lit up when they heard a funny joke, I saw how fake some of these people actually were, but most importantly, I saw how sad everyone in that cafeteria actually was.

Not in the sad where "my-dog-just-died-sad", but in the sense where these people weren't really themselves. Like they were just obeying the set of laws that high school society laid out for them. But the thing was, those laws _weren't real._

"I see sad people faking happiness. I see people that are lying to themselves."

"What's your name?" he asked.

Ok, so I _totally_ wasn't ready for that. It felt like I just poured out my whole heart and soul into an assignment that a teacher forgot he assigned. But I didn't hesitate as I said "Ally Dawson."

"Ally Dawson, why do you want to be tough?" Ok, now it just felt like an interrogation.

"I don't want to be tough. I _am_ tough. I just want people to notice it," I said.

"First of all, you aren't tough. You're _brave. _Tough is a term wrestlers use."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I said.

"That wasn't a compliment."

By this point I wanted to rip his arms off. I knew I was brave enough.

"Ally Dawson, you're brave because you actually _want_ people to see the real you. Notice how all these people are just compromising themselves? Scared of what others might think of the real them? Notice how they become something they're not?"

Ok at this point I was clinging on to his every word.

"New girl, who are you really?"

"I'm Ally Dawson, and I can be whoever I want to be."

This time he looked proud. MYSTERIOUS BLONDE HAIR BOY WAS PROUD! I didn't even try to hide the huge grin that was spreading across my face. This was officially the proudest moment of my life. Why?

Because at that point I realized that I never really knew who I was. I wasn't "tough", I wasn't a "clever young lady who specialized in helping others and had a smile that never failed", I was _both. _In fact, I was more, more than I could ever have imagined! More than I could ever know! So at that point, it didn't matter what anyone ever thought of me; because they were most likely wrong. _I was wrong. _So obviously they weren't right.

"So what's your name?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Austin Moon."

"It's nice to meet you Austin Moon."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Austin's P.O.V.

"Austin! Austin!" I heard someone scream. I turned around and saw Ally running towards me, frantically waving her arms above her head. "Austin, wait up!"

It was the end of the first day of school. Was it painstakingly long? Absolutely. However at least I found myself a friend…I think.

"Austin, you said you would walk home with me, remember?"

"Oh right," I said under my breath. I forgot I had agreed to walk home with Ally during our lunch conversation. I also forgot that I lied and told her that my house was near the zoo, when in fact, it was not.

I didn't have a home, an accepting home anyways.

"So," she said, lingering on the word, "how was your day?"

"I hate small talk," I said.

"I was just being nice," she said bitterly.

"I was just being honest," I returned.

"Listen Austin," she said, grabbing my arm and facing me towards her, "sometimes it's ok to make small talk; you don't always have to teach me a lesson that will make me question myself."

"I don't" I said but she quickly cut me off.

"_Listen _Austin," she said, staring at me with those big blue eyes of hers; "I've known you for one day, and I _know _that I've come closer to knowing who you are than anyone ever has. It's _okay _for me to ask you simple questions."

She was right, she really was. No one really took the time to acknowledge, or wanted to know more about me then Ally did. The worst part was, I didn't know whether or not I should've been scared of it.

"My day was fine," I said. This time, I really meant it. "It was fine."

"Thank you," she sighed, releasing the death grip she had on my arm. "So, where exactly do you live?" she asked.

"Well I…I live down there," I said, pointing down the street of brick houses that was very opposite of the house I _actually _sometimes lived in.

"Oh cool! I'll walk you over there then!" she beamed.

"No!" I yelled a bit too loudly. "I mean, I'm the guy; I'm supposed to walk _you _home remember?"

She gave me a questioning glare before erupting into a smile that seemed almost too big for her small stature. "Oh alright," she said, looping her arm into mine; "I live down a couple more blocks."

Sure I felt a tad bit uncomfortable. I mean, I've never really had physical contact that wasn't abusive in a way. Especially since the person whose arm that was looped into mine was a _girl's._ But I didn't let go, for some strange reason, it felt _right. _Like my arm was made to perfectly loop around her small one.

However, that moment didn't last long. I mean, it was like the movies; one minute everything is perfect, just you and someone enjoying their time in the most innocent phrase, the next, it's disrupted by some calamity. And that's exactly what happened.

"Hey loser!" someone yelled behind me. I didn't turn around, not yet. "Austin!" they screamed this time, "Austin who's your girlfriend? Or is this your mom?"

"Austin, don't mind them," Ally whispered to me. "Nothing good will ever come their way anyways."

However, they didn't stop yelling at me.

"Austin, _I thought your mom was dead."_

I couldn't help it. I loosened my arm from Ally's, and ran straight towards them. Not giving a single damn if one of us ended up dying by the end of it. I punched one of the guys straight in the face, and kicked one straight in the balls from behind.

"Austin, stop it!" I could hear Ally's screaming from somewhere distant, but didn't stop me. Nothing could stop me.

"And your dad," one of the guy's said breaking into a smile, even though his nose looked like it was at an unusual angle; "I bet he's still raping you, _the creep. _You're just like him."

This time I kicked him, kicked him for as long as I could remember; kicked him until he was half-dead. But I didn't stop. I could have kept going honestly, I would've killed him if it wasn't for Ally knocking me off my two feet, sending me to the ground.

I still don't know how she knocked me over, I really don't.

"Austin," she said, staring into my eyes. By this point I was crying, but I didn't stop; I _couldn't stop. _"Austin I'm here, just listen to me okay? I'm here and no one else is. _I'm here." _

I ran my hands through her hair, tracing my fingers along the side of her face, memorizing how soft her skin felt against my bloody fingers.

"Austin, it's over. It's done. You're going to be okay."

She never left my side, she never stood up; she just stayed with me on the sidewalks, holding my head and stroking my hair. And for the first time in my life, I realized, that maybe, I _was going to be okay._


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys thanks for all the amazing reviews it really means a lot to me especially since I've been having a tough week but thank you ily guys a lot I hope you all have nice days(:**

Chapter 5

Ally's POV

Just when I thought Austin Moon was tough as steel, I witnessed something that made me look at him at a totally new perspective.

In case you didn't know, Austin had got into a fight. No, that's an understatement. Austin Moon had got into a full out battle, but the war was far from over.

I thought I knew a lot about that mysterious blonde haired boy, I _thought _I did. But I was far from right.

I kept replaying the words one of the guys had yelled at him, the phrase that set the match on fire. "_Austin, I thought your mom was dead."_

Then there was the other phrase, the one that even got _me_ to stop dead in my tracks. "_And your dad, I bet he's still raping you, the creep, you're just like him." _

I would never be able to forget the look on Austin's face. It wasn't anger (surprisingly), it was _pure terror. _Kick after kick, punch after punch, it looked like Austin really was about to kill him. That was when I jumped. I jumped not to stop the fight, but because I knew Austin had had enough, I needed to knock some sense into the kid. He was broken beyond words. Beyond anything I had ever known, and I pitied him for it.

So maybe that's why I never left his side. Maybe that's why, even though passerby's were staring at us, I still whispered soothing words into his ear, calming his brain that seemed to be on overload.

For two hours, he didn't say a word. For two hours, I hadn't stood up. But everyone's legs get tired after a while, so finally I asked him the question I was too scared to ask for two straight hours.

"Austin, do you want to get up now?" I asked.

"You can go home Ally," he whispered, too tired to talk. "Just go home and promise me you'll never talk to me again."

I don't know about you, but I wanted to rip his arms off at that moment. But I didn't give up on him, not yet.

"Austin, please get up." I said with a little urgency in my voice.

"Oh Ally," he said laughing (YES ACTUAL LAUGHAGE); "Don't say you don't enjoy this too."

"Excuse me?"

"I've known you for one day, and you have already professed your undying love for me."

WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE TALKING ABOUT?!

"Don't think I didn't hear you," he said, a smile creeping in his voice, "_Oh Austin don't worry I'm here, I love you." _he mimicked.

_Oh shit._

"But I…I-I- I didn't mean it! I was just- I was just trying to fix you! I just thought that maybe that would knock some sense into you! I didn't actually mean it!" I scoffed.

This time he just smiled at me. It was kind of like that for a long time. I must admit that I liked it, I mean, what girl wouldn't want to stare into a mysterious boy's gorgeous eyes. _Did I just say that?_

Finally, he stood up with surprising ease and took my hand. "Thanks Ally," he said, this time in a deep and sexy serious tone (WHY DO I KEEP SAYING CRAZY THINGS!); "I really mean it, thank you."

"Shut up," I said, slapping his arm, "now how about that walk home?" I asked; and for the second time that day, I looped my arm into his. "Listen Austin, I'm not a super genius or anything, but I'm pretty sure you live nowhere around here. If you want, you can stay at my place."

There was a look of surprise, then shock, then lastly fear, in his expression. Finally he muttered: "I'm fine, no thanks."

I didn't question him, even though it took every ounce of self-control in my body not to ask him. Even then, I was still worried about him. The next few minutes were spent in silence, until finally; we arrived in front of my 12 room, Italian inspired, family mansion.

"So, this is where the famous Ally Dawson lives," he said, not even trying to hide the awe in his voice.

"Are you _sure_ your fine? We have so many unused rooms in the house, my parents won't even notice." I said.

"Nah, see you around Ally," he said, shrugging and walking away. For all I know, he didn't look back. There were so many unsaid words between us, that it was just too much.

Maybe he was right; maybe, I should've just gone home and never talked to him again. Maybe, it was just for the best.

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

I couldn't sleep that night; I just kept fidgeting in my bed, replaying all the action that had just occurred over the past 24 hours. When all the fidgeting became too much, I decided to get up. Just walk around the house; maybe make myself a midnight snack.

That was when I heard it, a faint, quite knocking. It seemed to have been coming from one of the bedroom windows. I opened the bedroom door and saw that the room was empty. I quietly tip-toed to the window, the pitter-patter of the rain beating against the glass; and that's when I saw him.

Standing on a frail branch, was no other then Austin Moon. I opened the window, giving him the strangest glare I have ever given to anyone. However, I kind of liked it.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked.

"It's better if you didn't," he laughed. "Anyways, pack your stuff; we'll be back before school."

"But.."

"Hey, you said your parents won't even notice, _remember?_"

I did remember, but at that moment, I wish I hadn't.

**OK SO THIS WAS A REALLY BORING CHAPTER I APOLOGIZE BUT THE STORY AND ROMANCE OFFICIALLY STARTS HERE I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR ALL THE EMOTIONAL TERMOILS I WILL THROW AT YOU… OK LEAVE YOUR REVIEWS THANKS!**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Ally's POV**

Never have I ever thought that I would be riding in an old truck (let alone _Austin Moon's _truck), in the middle of the night; carrying a jug of milk, a rope, and 5 of my parent's credits cards (all of which I knew the PINs to).

"Austin, if my parents found out I snuck out with some guy in the middle of the night, they are going to chop my hand off. _Literally."_

Austin just smiled at me, totally _not_ the reaction I was looking for. Obviously he hasn't seen the Dawson parents get mad, and then I remembered that I hadn't seen the Moon parents (well dad), get mad. So I decided to stop saying anything altogether.

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Austin, casually driving; and I was looking out the window, observing the city streets at night. For some reason, everything just seemed a million times better under the moonlight. The way the city pavements gleamed; the soft, luminous effect of the city lights illuminating the city, and how the darkness of the night made the raindrops more visible, making everything even more peaceful.

Finally, Austin broke the calming silence between us.

"We're here," he whispered.

"There's nothing here," I said.

"Exactly."

xXx

**Austin's POV**

Sneaking Ally out of her house wasn't the hard part. No, convincing her to trust me was the difficult part.

After the events of yesterday, I decided to trust her. It felt weird placing my trust in someone I just met (let alone placing my trust in _anyone), _but with Ally, I felt safe. Like whenever I was with her, it felt like it was _okay _for me to let myself out; the part of me that was always too scared to let itself out. But I trusted her, I trusted Ally Dawson with my life; and that was the part of me that scared me the most.

"Welcome to my home," I said, stretching my arms out wide.

Ally climbed out of the truck then stood by my side. Then she whispered: "home sweet home, huh?"

"It's not much, but its home," I said, walking forward to who knows what. However, when I turned around, she was just standing there, looking at me.

"Austin, there's _nothing,"_ she said in the most serious tone I have ever heard from her. "This isn't something that should be joked about."

"I'm not joking."

"Me neither."

Then Ally Dawson did something so strange and foreign I thought that maybe this was all just a dream.

Ally Dawson hugged me.

The strangest thing was that I hugged her back. We were just _there; _just two innocent people hugging, in the most innocent phrase possible. Comforting each other with our embrace and listening to each other's heart beating.

However, the thing I loved the most, was the brief moment where I had the feeling that I was needed and wanted. Being the taller person, I rested my chin on Ally's head; it was so comforting because it felt like I was her protector and that she needed me.

I don't know how long that moment lasted, but I do remember that I didn't want to release her.

"Come on Austin, let's go," Ally said, taking my hand and leading me towards the truck. "I'll drive if you want…"

"No," I muttered, "there are still some things I need to show you."

"Let's go then," she said, without any fear or question in her voice.

As we buckled ourselves into our seats, I noticed Ally's one free hand was still gripping onto mine. I didn't dare let go, for it felt absolutely right. She must have somehow noticed that I liked it however, because she gripped even harder, but not in the sense where it was bone crushing; but in the silent, but powerful sense where holding hands seemed to symbolize our infinite trust for each other.

"Austin, there was _nothing,_" Ally said, as if it were the most significant fact ever; "You can't be living there!"

"Think of it as a mobile home," I said, "That's where I place my home…well _truck."_

Suddenly, Ally's mouth was wide open, creating the perfect 'o' shape.

"You can't-you- YOUCAN'T BE LIVING IN A TRUCK! I mean… you smell _good," _Ally screamed. Somewhere in between however, her brain must have caught up with her words because she lowered her voice and gave me a small smile; "I'm a girl okay, I notice these things. I just meant, _where do you take showers?" _

Then, as if on cue, I arrived at Suzy's Soups.

"Here," I said. "My mom's sister, Aunt Suzy, she owns this place. She kind of hates my dad's guts so she acts like my sort of parent. It's not much, but it's all I've got. Come on, let's go inside."

This time, I was the one to loop my arm into Ally's, as I guided her to the back door (my own special entrance) of the restaurant.

Everything looked perfectly in place as I turned on the lights to my own, personal room at the restaurant. From the rickety old, out of shape bed; to the acoustic guitar hanging on one of the walls, the very guitar my mom had given me for my sixth birthday.

"It's…nice," Ally muttered.

"I didn't come all the way here to show you my room Ally, follow me."

I took her hand and together, we made our way up the creaky stairs that led to the rooftop.

"Whoa," Ally breathed.

I remember when my mom had died, I was seven then. My father never really cared about me, and he didn't even try to hide it. So I took refuge at my Aunt Suzy's. I remember coming up to that rooftop every night, staring up into oblivion. Sometimes, I would even talk to the stars, imagining them to be my mom; telling her all about my (usually horrible), day at school.

I don't know when I stopped doing that though; I guess it was when I started to lose hope. I started accepting that she really was gone, and that she was never coming back.

But that night, as I stood up on that rooftop again after so many years of being apart; I felt a sudden rush of hope surge back into me. I felt it, I really did. Ally seemed to have noticed the gleam in my eyes too, because the next moment, she grabbed my face and pressed her lips to mine.

It was a soothing kiss. It didn't last very long, but it wasn't just a peck either. It was just right, innocent, harmless, reassuring.

"I-I- I'm sorry," Ally whispered, pulling away; "I just…"

"Shhhh," I whispered in her ear, "just come here."

Then I grabbed her chin and pressed her lips into mine. This time, the kiss was hungrier; like maybe it would probably be our last time being together like this. All I know was that nothing else mattered in that moment. It felt like we were the only two people alive, while the rest of Miami slept safe and soundly in their beds.

I must've carried a bean bag chair when I was a kid onto that rooftop, because I sank down into it, ready to fall asleep. Ally nestled up beside me, together, we kept each other warm. I draped my arms around her frail body and just held her there; and together, we stared at the softly lit Miami in silence.

"Just stay here Ally," I whispered. "Even for just a bit, just stay here with me."

"I will," she said. "But Austin, how are we going to get off? The door we came through has locked behind us."

"Well…that's where the rope comes in."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Ally's POV**

Ok, so I admit, Austin Moon is _totally _romantic. Sure, he may be tough, mysterious, and difficult to comprehend; but if you really get to know him, he's a total Romeo. The few hours we spent on the rooftop that night, may or may not have made me fall in love with him.

Now, I know what you're thinking. I just met the guy! I can't fall in love with him! But let me tell you this: When you start to know someone, all their physical characteristics start to disappear. You begin to dwell in their energy, recognize the scent of their skin. You see only the essence of the person, not the shell. That's why you can't fall in love with beauty. You can lust after it, be infatuated by it, and want to own it. You can love it with your eyes and your body but not your heart. And that's why, when you really connect with a person's inner self, any physical imperfections disappear, they become irrelevant.

And that night, after connecting with the _real _Austin Moon, I realized that he was different, hard to explain, and I loved it. _I wanted to know more._

"Ally just stay here, please, just stay here," Austin whispered in my ear.

"I know Austin, but we have to go soon."

He tilted my chin so that my eyes were staring directly into his. But we didn't kiss. He just looked at me; it looked like he was staring right through me, looking at every memory I've ever had, every fact I've ever learned, every secret I've ever hid.

"I have nothing to hide Austin," I said. He broke away from his trance and looked away towards the rising sun.

Finally he muttered: "It's time to go." Then he grabbed my hand and together we stood up, staring at Miami one last time. "Where's the rope."

"Austin, if this involves jumping off the roof, then I will not give you this rope," I said.

"We're not jumping, we're _climbing,"_ he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"It's the same bloody thing!" I screamed.

"I just thought you were brave enough," he said.

"I am brave!" I retorted, crossing my arms.

"I know you are," he whispered. Then he gently took the rope from my one hand, and together, we made our way to the edge of the roof.

To be honest with you, I got a little sick looking down; after all, we were standing on the edge of a seven story building.

"I'll meet you on the balcony," he said.

Then he jumped.

xXx

**Austin's POV**

I landed on the sixth-story balcony with a hard _thump._ It wasn't that bad, the last time I had done this was when I was just seven. This time, I was taller and stronger.

"You know you're crazy right!" Ally screamed from above me.

Then she threw me the rope, and I quickly tied it to one of the balcony's railings.

Ally easily climbed her way down using the rope; the gentle winds rocking her small, frail body ever so slightly.

"I still think this is absolutely crazy," she breathed, joining my side.

"Well then I guess we're absolutely crazy."

Balcony by balcony, we slowly made our way down the building. When we finally reached the ground, Ally immediately gave me a bone crushing hug.

"That was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life you know that right?"

"And you thought I was crazy," I chuckled.

"I still do!" she laughed. And with that, we raced each other to my truck, with Ally falling down in the process.

xXx

Before I dropped Ally off to her house, we had to make one last stop. The sun was almost fully up by now, and more cars were starting to come out.

Finally, we arrived in front of Thomas Friedman's house. In case you didn't know, Thomas Friedman was the guy I nearly killed on the sidewalk yesterday. However, our war was far from over.

"What is this place?" Ally said, stepping out of the truck.

"My friend's house," I said. Well, _former_ friend's house; but of course, she didn't know that. "Now, before we go in, promise me you'll do whatever I'll say?"

She gave me a questioning glare, but slowly nodded.

"Ok, first we start by entering through my own secret entrance," I said, taking her hand.

Back in the days when me and Thomas Friedman were friends (and I don't use this word lightly), we used to role-play as secret agents. Our own secret entrance to what we imagined was the "headquarters", was through his bedroom window. We would climb the old tree that branched out to his window, and use any sort of card to enter the window (a technology we developed in kindergarten).

This time, it was Ally and I doing the climbing.

"Seriously, why don't we just knock on his front door?" Ally questioned.

"Because then we would wake his parents up," I said.

"Then why don't you just ask _him_ to open the door?"

"Because he's not here," I said. Definitely _not_ a lie. Thomas Friedman was in fact, checked into the hospital after suffering from a few broken bones. "Now hand me one of the credit cards."

Ally obliged, and handed me one of her parent's credit cards. I swiped it on the padlock Thomas and I had built back in kindergarten. I was surprised he didn't even bother to take it off, but it still worked. Soon, Ally and I were inside his bedroom.

"You know, for a guy, his room is pretty clean," Ally said in amazement.

And it was true, his bed was perfectly tucked, absolutely no clothing was lying on the floor, and the air smelled like cocoa butter kiss (as stated by Ally). However, it wasn't going to stay clean for long.

"Hand me the milk," I said to Ally.

"What will you do with it?" she asked, as she handed me the 4 litre jug of expired milk.

"Well I'm definitely not going to drink it," I muttered.

Then I opened the lid and spilled its contents all over his bed. Ally jumped back in shock and gave me the angriest expression I have ever seen from her. For some reason however, I found it adorable.

"Austin! What the hell was _that?" _she screamed.

However, I never got to answer her question; because at that moment, Thomas Friedman's mom had entered the room giving Ally and me the angriest expression ever, and this time, I did NOT find it adorable.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Most of the story will be written from Ally' POV now, ok thanks!**

Chapter 8

**Ally's POV**

_We're done for. _

That was the first thought that popped into my brain once Austin's friend's mom found us, pouring milk all over her son's bed. _I. Am. Such. An. Idiot. _Why did I trust Austin in the first place! We were freaking breaking and entering!

_Note to self: sometimes mysterious boys become __**way**__ too mysterious to the point where they just __**can't **__be trusted._

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" the angry mom said, crossing her arms and blocking the door; blocking our only way of escaping (well there was the window but there was no way I was using _that)._

"I-I-I can explain!" I pleaded.

"No, you won't," Austin said, taking my hand; however, I pulled my hand free, not knowing whether I should trust him ever again. "Your son _deserves _this; we're just here to teach him a lesson."

"_We're?!" _I screamed, "This was all _you _Austin, if I knew we were going to sabotage someone I would _never _have come!"

"The girl can go," the mom said, stepping away from the door to let me walk through. However, I didn't walk through. No matter how much I wanted to blame Austin for everything, I couldn't just leave him (he was after all, my only ride home).

"Ally go," Austin whispered; "Promise me you'll never talk to me again."

"Austin…"

"GO!" This time he yelled, the angriest I had ever seen of him.

I didn't need to be told twice. With one last glance at Austin, I walked through the bedroom door, hoping I would never have to lay my eyes on him ever again.

**xXx**

I wasn't tired that day at school. Adrenaline was still coursing through me after all the events that happened those few hours. However, with lots of adrenaline, I wasn't able to focus…_at all. _

No matter how hard I tried to block it however, the thoughts that were associated with Austin Moon kept coming into my head. As I expected, he wasn't there at school. I wondered what happened to him. I really did.

I also wondered if I would be able to keep his promise of never talking to him again. Ever.

Then I remembered, _I never made the promise._

Was I still mad at him? Of course I was! But there was just something about him. Something I wanted to learn, grow into, and hide in; where I could turn away from my everyday teenager problems (of course he brought more problems). There was just a little waltz in the way he spoke to me and the way he thought. I WANTED TO KNOW MORE!

So that's when I came up with the decision. I was going to find Austin Moon tonight. I don't care if I'm deprived of sleep; I am going to find him. And now, it will be my turn to take him on an overnight adventure.

_And I like it._

**xXx**

Ok so maybe it wasn't as easy as I thought.

For starters, I had no idea where Austin Moon was! I was **not **off to a good start. However, I did have an idea as to where he was; actually _two_.

After dinner that evening, I quickly packed my bag with pillows and blankets and told my parents I was going to be sleeping over at a friend's house. After they grudgingly obliged, I grabbed the keys to one of my parent's minivans and drove off to Suzy's Soups.

When I arrived at Suzy's Soups, I knocked on the secret door Austin had shown me the previous night.

"Austin!" I yelled, banging my fists on against the door. "Austin I know you're in there!"

Then the door swung open and in front of me stood a plump old lady, giving me an expression that would best be described as somewhere between mad and shocked.

"I'm afraid Austin's not here young lady," she said. "And may I dare ask who you are?"

"My name is Ally, Ally Dawson. Has Austin mentioned anything about me to you?"

"I'm afraid I haven't talked to Austin in several months," she said, shaking her head. "The poor boy, I believe he's lost himself."

Then the memories of last night started making sense; the way his room felt like no one had lived in it for months. Austin Moon _really did_ live in a truck. That meant that maybe he would be there. Maybe even right now.

"Thank you!" I yelled, turning around and running towards my minivan, adrenaline coursing through me. I had never felt that much hope surge inside of me until that very moment.

When I finally pulled up in front of that empty lot in front of the Miami Mall, I saw him. I saw the messy, gleaming blonde hair. I saw the torn up clothing. I saw Austin Moon.

Then I ran towards him, putting the memories of the morning behind us. I just ran towards him, as fast as my feet could carry me. However, being the poorly-gifted-in-athletic-abilities girl that I am, I ended up tripping on my own two feet and crashed onto him.

He looked absolutely startled, terrified, petrified. However, I didn't care.

"Austin," I whispered, running my fingers along his face. "What happened?"

I didn't want to hear the answer Not at all. There were bruises all along his face, his lip was swollen, he had a black eye, and there were whip lashes all over his open chest.

"Austin, please tell me," I pleaded, tears running down my cheeks. "Austin _please, _I'm so, so, so, sorry." Then I kissed him on the forehead, tracing my lips down to his eyes, then down to his cheeks, and then I softly placed my lips to his.

"Ally I thought I made you promise to never talk to me again," he whispered, breaking away from the kiss but still keeping his face inches away from mine.

"I never promised Austin, and I never will."

Then he kissed me again. Hungrier this time, but gentle all the same. Then he took my hand, and together we stood up; with me helping him to get to his feet. He walked with a limp, it looked like he had sprained his ankle, then I noticed there were blood stains on his jeans.

"Austin, please tell me what happened," I asked.

He gave me a weak smile before tracing his fingers down the side of my face.

"I think it's time for you to meet my dad."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Ally's POV**

I was scared.

I don't want to sugar-coat anything, I didn't want to make it more complicated than what it really was; I was human, and I was scared.

Austin didn't have to tell me about his dad, I just _knew. _After all, if his dad really cared for him, he would still be living with him; they should've been brought together after whatever tragedy happened to his mom.

But it was the opposite. Austin looked dead. Sure his heart was still functioning, his vital organs still seemed to be in place; but the soul? It wasn't there. It was long gone.

He looked like a soldier that just came back to war; forever scarred by the memories that had happened to him during his battles.

"Austin," I said, grabbing his hand. "We need to take you to a hospital."

"No," he said sternly, "I need to take you to my dad."

"But you…"

"But what Ally?" his voice rising, "This isn't the first time it's happened!"

"Then we should report it to the police!" I yelled.

"That's the last place I want to go to," he said in a dead-serious tone. I heaved a sigh and released his hand from mine; then I turned around and made my way back to my minivan.

"Ally, wait!"

I turned around to see Austin attempting to make his way towards me, however he faltered and fell to his knees, unable to carry his own self.

"What," I said, in an exasperated voice.

"What made you come here?"

It took me a while to answer, to recollect my thoughts. I kept replaying the question over and over in my head: _why had I come to visit Austin? _

"I wanted to know more about you," I said, letting out a sigh. The next few sentences came out with surprising ease. "I just thought that there was so much more you weren't telling me, so much more I have to tell _you. _I like you Austin, I really do; and I've known you for less than 3 days" I said, letting out a small smile.

"I just want to help you; we can make this work Austin, we really can. Maybe that's what life is all about, finding that one person that you can depend on, finding that one person that you can really speak your mind to, finding that one person that is like the one missing piece to your puzzle; that one person that completes you."

"Aren't you something," he laughed, giving me the widest grin I have ever seen from that mysterious boy.

"I'm not done yet Austin," I said, dead serious. "I also came here because….because tonight, _I _want to be the one to take you on an overnight adventure."

**xXx**

It took me 10 minutes to carry Austin into the passenger seat of my minivan.

**Number of times I fell down due to his weight: **5

**Number of times Austin tried to kiss me:** 6

**Number of times he actually **_**did: **_4

**Number of times I asked him what happened at his friend's house: **15

**Number of times he answered my question: **0

"Where might you be taking me?" Austin asked, smirking in my direction.

"You'll see."

We drove for 30 minutes in dead silence. The moon was fully up by now, and Austin had fallen asleep in his seat; it was just me and the soft, barely audible music in the background. Finally, I arrived at a small, abandoned house.

"Wake up Austin," I whispered in his ear.

"Where are we?" he asked, with no traces of tiredness in his voice. It's like he had been trained to always be fully alert.

"To be honest, I don't know," I chuckled. "Now come on."

I lifted Austin up to his feet, and carried (well more like dragged) him to an empty spot in the meadow.

"Austin Moon, _are you ready to dance?" _I asked, smiling at him.

"What do you mean…" a scared look was creeping on to his face.

Then I ran back to the car and blasted the music up to full volume.

"Let's waltz," I laughed. I grabbed his hand and placed it on my waist. "You can trust me."

Until now, I don't know how he did it. His ankle was severely sprained, his body was in such bad shape; but Austin Moon…he _danced. _HE ACTUALLY DANCED! FOR ONE HOUR!

I admit, it was sooo romantic. Just two people waltzing (well attempting to waltz) their hearts out in an empty flower meadow; the gentle breeze blowing against their bodies, the moonlight illuminating their faces. It was, in a way, perfect.

When the waltzing became too much, we just lay there; resting my head on his chest, we silently stared up into the midnight sky, wondering if anyone else was looking down at us.

"I hit her," he said bluntly. "I hit his mom, and then I ran away."

"You can't just do that," I whispered.

"I know."

Then he placed his lips to mine, kissing me like I was the only person left for him in this world (and maybe I was). After a few minutes, I finally broke away.

"Ally, you can't be with me, you know that right?" he said, tears streaming down his face.

"Yes I can," I said.

"No, _you can't," _he said, standing to his feet and limping away. "Ally, I'm wanted by the police."

"That doesn't mean I can't be with you."

"I'm charged for breaking and entering, and assault," he said, shaking his head.

"Austin," I said, walking towards him, "I can…"

"It's too dangerous," he said, this time facing me. "I don't want you to get hurt."

The silence that followed was too strong, too strong to be comfortable; the powerful silence that warned us that things would never be the same again, and we had no hope in changing that upcoming fate.

"That's why," he whispered, tracing his fingers along the sides of my face; "I'm leaving this town tomorrow, this country; and I'm never coming back."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Ally's POV**

No. There was no way I was allowing it. Austin is not leaving me, he is not leaving this town, he is not leaving this country. He. Is. Not. Allowed.

"Austin no," I said in the strictest voice I could muster; "There are better ways you can handle this situation, but running away from your problems isn't going to fix anything."

"But Ally…"

"But what!" I yelled, unable to contain my frustration. "Even if you run away, they're going to find you eventually! _I'm _going to find you eventually. So no, you are not leaving, I won't allow it."

He heaved a sigh and sat back down onto the ground; sitting myself down with him. I grabbed his head and laid it on my lap, stroking my fingers through his hair.

"Ally?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"I think it's time for you to meet my dad."

"I know."

This time I didn't argue. This time, I didn't suggest a safer alternative. This time, I was ready, and I was brave. So I stood up and walked Austin to the car; this time, I didn't look at all the bruises that were running along his body, I didn't look at all the blood stained to his clothing, I didn't look at his black eye or his cut open lips. This time, I was ready to confront the person that had done all this to him.

And one thing was for certain, this wasn't going to be a formal meeting with his father; no, this was going to be the beginning of a war.

**xXx**

** "**Turn here," he said.

I obliged and turned onto Milbury Street, a dark and shady street located in the slums of Miami. When I stepped out of my car, I immediately felt out of place. My clothes were made of the finest linen, crisp and clean (well not too clean since I just laid in a flower meadow for an hour); while the people in this neighborhood's clothes were torn up, unwashed, and shabby. I was covered in the finest perfume, the air there smelt like a pig barn.

"Which house is it?" I asked. Although there weren't very much, most of the houses in this neighborhood were either abandoned, or non-existent. Everyone seemed to call the cold asphalt their home.

"That one," he said, pointing to a small, wood house that seemed to be hanging onto its last limbs.

I slowly made my way forward, unsure what would come my way.

"Ally wait!" Austin said, joining me by my side. "I'm not too sure about this. I should go inside first."

"Good luck," I said, planting a kiss on his head. He nodded and walked towards his father's house. Meanwhile, I found a good hiding spot behind an outlying bush. Austin knocked on the door 3 times; then, I heard heavy steps walking towards the door. Then door flew open and there stood a tall, broad, muscular aging man.

He sounded drunk as he said: "What are you doing here ya little scruff."

"Hello father," Austin said, braver than I thought he would. "Unless you didn't know, law states that I'm supposed to be living here."

"The law," he smirked; "Funny you should say that, the police are runnin' all over town lookin for ya."

"As a father, you should be fighting for me."

"I thought I told you to stay out," he growled.

"I'm _never_ going to listen to you," Austin hissed.

All of a sudden, the old man's arm found Austin stomach; sending Austin to the ground. But he didn't stop there; he kept on kicking Austin, sending Austin down the front steps of his house. It was like I was watching Austin's brawl with that one boy on the sidewalks again. Except this time, it was Austin on the ground. And just like last time, I needed to do something. So I jumped.

**xXx**

Well it wasn't exactly that big of a jump; more like a leap from behind the bush and the rest was spent running, flailing my arms in the air.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"

"Well who do we have here?" the old man smirked.

He had lines running all across his forehead. His eyes were droopy, his brown hair was tinged with grey, most of his teeth were missing, he had deep scars running all across his face, and tattoos running all across his arms. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol, and he stood like he was permanently drunk. One thing was for sure, he looked _nothing_ like Austin.

"Don't. Hurt. Him."

"And who do you think you are little miss, telling me what I can or can't do?" he whispered, the smirk disappearing from his face; this time, he gave me a threatening look.

However, I didn't flinch, and my voice didn't crack. My voice was loud and strong as I said ``I`m Ally Dawson, daughter of Lester Dawson. In case you didn't know, Lestor Dawson is a world renowned lawyer, intelligence officer for the United States of America, and _very_ proud father. So don`t _ever_ call me a little miss again, because I think I can tell you what you can or can`t do. ``

I was proud of myself, _very _proud of myself. I was a tough girl and no one will _ever_ tell me what I can or can`t do in life. No one will _ever _be able to control me.

I was wrong.

Austin`s dad`s hands cupped around my face; he placed kicks to my stomach and sent me tumbling down the front steps beside Austin. He took out a rope and tied it around our hands. Then, he grabbed Austin and I by our shirts, and carried us inside to his home.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Ally's POV**

I woke up the next morning in a dingy room with stacks of books lying all across the floor. The room had a sterile feeling that suggested that it hadn't been lived in for months, maybe even years. The wallpapers were peeling, the carpet was ripping off the floors, and basically everything was rustic and dusty.

"AUSTIN!" I yelled, not caring about the repercussions that might occur. "AUSTIN WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Would you keep it down?" I heard from the back of the room. "I was trying to sleep," he muttered.

"Austin! You're alright!" I said, crawling towards him. I noticed my hands were no longer tied, so I was able to untie all of the ropes that Austin was trapped in. Once I untied him free, I wrapped my arms around him in a gentle embrace.

"Ally we need to get out of here," he whispered in my ear.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Unless my dad frees us himself, there's no way of getting out."

**xXx**

We tried everything, we really did. We tried making a hole in the wall, we tried breaking down the door, we even started yelling Austin's dad's name begging him to let us out; but none of our feeble attempts worked. We were trapped in a room with no windows, no food, and bugs crawling everywhere.

"What is this place?" I finally sighed, dropping down to the floor in hopelessness. "It looks like a dump!"

"It's my room," Austin said bluntly.

"Oh, sorry," I whispered.

"Don't worry about it. I lived here until my mom died, then I left. My dad was going to kick me out anyways, so I took refuge at Aunt Suzy's."

"Tell me more," I said, standing up and taking a seat next to him. "If we die here Austin, at least let me know who you really are."

"You know what Ally? I don't actually know who my _real _dad is. Once upon a time, there was a woman who fell in love with a handsome man. They fell so deeply in love that they gave birth to a child, they named him Austin. He had blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and looked exactly like his mother. However, he was less beautiful, less captivating."

"You're pretty captivating," I whispered, smiling up at him. However, he just kept on going, and I kept on listening.

"One day the beautiful woman and the blonde baby woke up with police at their front door, announcing that the man they called 'dad', was found dead at a local pub. They didn't know who had shot him. So the beautiful woman wept, and wept, and wept; she wept until her eyes could no longer produce tears. She wept until they were kicked out of their apartment, because of their shortage of money."

I was crying at this point, but Austin still kept on going, his voice loud and strong.

"Then one day, the beautiful woman met a man who was sitting alone at a café; the same café the woman was working at. They exchanged a couple of words, and then eventually, they got married. The beautiful woman and her son who was now 4, moved in with the new man. However as deeply in love was the man with the beautiful woman, he never seemed to love and accept her less-than-beautiful son. He would call him nasty names when she wasn't listening, he would beat the little boy when his mom wasn't home, and lastly, he would do something so cruel and terrible that the little boy learned that humanity was a terrible thing."

"He would rape him," I whispered numbly.

"The little boy had had enough, so when his father wasn't at home one night, he told his mom everything. At first, his mother didn't believe him; however, this was his son, she had to trust him. It explained why his son had always seemed so distant from his father, how sometimes at night she would hear her son crying, and how it looked like all the happiness was drained out of her son's body. So one day, she confronted her husband about this. Her husband was so enraged that he began beating the both of them; beating them until they were no longer capable of walking."

This time Austin started crying, we were both crying, holding each other like it was the only safe thing to do.

"So one night, the beautiful woman told her son that she was going to take out the garbage. However, she took so long that the young boy became skeptical. He escaped the home without his dad noticing, and saw that his mother's car was gone. He started crying, and ran back inside the house. However, he didn't tell his father, he didn't need to know; his mom probably didn't want his dad to know either, so the young boy kept quiet."

"Austin," I whispered. "Stop hurting yourself."

Austin had become hysterical and started brutally scratching his arm without him even noticing. He still kept on going though, like he just had to finish the story.

"Then the boy woke up the next morning with blood-shot eyes because of crying all night long. He walked into his kitchen and found two policemen sitting at his kitchen table. He thought that they were there to join them for breakfast and that his dad had invited them over; after all, his father did work for the police force. But then he noticed that his father was crying. Then they told the young boy the news. The beautiful woman that he had called his mother was dead after a car crash. Apparently they had called it a "suicide crash". Of course, the young boy didn't know what that was, but he did know one thing: that it was his entire fault."

"Austin," I said, turning him towards me. "Austin, this is _not_ your fault. Do you hear me? Listen to me again: THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT."

"Of course it is Ally; if I had just told my dad that my mom's car was missing maybe we might've found her."

I didn't say anything. Sometimes, it's better to leave the person that's hurt to keep hurting. Just make sure you let them know that you'll never leave their side. Let the person that's hurting gather and recollect their thoughts, to figure it out for themselves, and to let them know that their feelings are not only valid, but completely necessary because they are human. And humans are made to hurt.

"Just so you know Austin, I'm going to kiss you know." And I did just that, I placed my lips to his, expecting some sort of retaliation, but it never came. So I kissed him harder, and he let me. I traced my tongue along his lips, asking for permission, and he gladly agreed as he parted his lips and let me enter. I had never kissed anyone like that before; sure I've had a couple of boyfriends, but in that moment, it was just truly Austin Moon and I.

But that was when I heard the chains unlock and the door creak open. That was when I saw a drunken man capable of beating his wife and child to near-death. That was when I heard him say: "Ally Dawson, we need to talk."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Ally's POV**

"I'm am not going anywhere with _you," _I growled at the old man.

"Do you, or do you _not _want to leave this house?" Austin's dad smirked.

"You're not going to let us out anyways, so what's the point?"

"Have it your way," he murmured, turning and closing the door behind him.

"WAIT!" Austin yelled, right before we heard the door lock into place. There was a small moment of hesitation in the air, before the door creaked open ever-so-slightly to reveal the aging man peering through the tiny crack in the door.

"What do you want?" he grinned, revealing his golden teeth.

"Ally go," Austin whispered.

In that moment, I felt a little betrayed. I couldn't believe Austin _actually _wanted tohand me over to his dad. However when I glanced in Austin's direction, his face told me that this was for the best; that maybe his dad would actually be negotiating with me. However I still had a small feeling that suggested his dad would do more _hurting _than negotiating.

"Austin," I whispered, "I don't know about this."

"Just go_, trust me_."

"Yes Ally, come on," Austin's dad said, opening the door and sticking out his hand, gesturing for me to follow.

With one last glance at Austin, and one last glance at the room, I grabbed the lamp and smashed it onto his dad's body.

**xXx**

It didn't do very much. Austin's dad may have a permanent drunken aura to him, but he was well alert. He was strong. He was ready.

The lamp smashed into a hundred glass pieces onto the floor. It delayed Austin's dad's punch by a second, but sometimes all you need is a second to plant a kick right into a man's groin. And that's exactly what I did.

He crunched into himself, groaning in the process, and collapsed onto his knees. Apparently I'm stronger then I think.

"Austin come on!" I yelled, planting kicks all over his dad's body.

"_GRAB THE BOOKS_!" he yelled.

"The _what?"_ I asked, stopping dead in my tracks.

I never got to hear the answer though, because Austin's dad had gotten up in that split second and slammed my frail body onto the floor. Austin's dad must have an endless supply of ropes, because he turned me around and tied my hands together until my wrists felt numb. Then he dragged me into the living room and tied my body onto a chair.

"Now how about that talk?"

**xXx**

"I'm going to make this very simple Ally Dawson, I will let you and Austin escape, as long as you don't say a word about this, _ever."_

"Looks like we're not escaping," I whispered.

"Wrong answer," and then he whipped his hand across my face.

"Does anyone else live with you?" I asked. I honestly don't know why I asked that particular question, especially when there was so much more questions to ask; but it was already out of my mouth, and there were two beds from the corner of my eye that seemed like they were recently occupied.

"Why do you care?"

"Just answer the question," I whispered. This time, I knew it was my turn to play the game.

"Yes. Yes there is."

"Who is it?"

"You don't know her," he said.

"So it's a _her." _

To tell you the truth, Austin's dad and I were equally surprised. Austin Moon had miraculously unlocked himself out of the room.

"You're getting sloppy dad," he smirked, limping his way forward, "You left your keys behind."

Ok, so maybe it wasn't miraculous at all.

"Sloppy?" he laughed, "Me? You're just getting lucky."

"Is it your girlfriend?" I asked, continuing our conversation.

"Girlfriend?" he asked, as if it was some foreign term (and maybe it was to him); and then he stretched his head back and laughed like it was the silliest thing in the entire world. "Love little girl, is one big _lie."_

"You're one big lie," I mumbled, and then he laughed again.

"Love little girl, is the single most damned lie alive. It eats your soul, it blinds you, it takes reality away from you, but does love last forever? Nothing lasts forever. And that becomes imminent once the love of your life departs from this world. What is the remaining lover left to do? What could they possibly do to see the light again? Absolutely nothing. Nothing can bring their lover back, nothing they could possibly do can make their heart, mind, and life go back to normal. That's why people are better off alone, because love doesn't exist; it's only a mere temporary liking towards someone else. And that is why love is an absolute lie."

This time, it was my turn to laugh. "No offence, but you have it all wrong. Nothing lasts forever, I understand that. But whether you accept it or not, _every_ human being has a little ounce of love in them. And to say that love doesn't last forever, that love just goes into oblivion; is itself an indirect sentence that proclaims that humans and the legacies they leave are pointless."

He blinked, and I swear I saw his mouth gape a little, but I continued.

"When two lovers find each other, they exchange stories, memories, and they change each other in one way or another. Once these two people change, they go out into the world, and through their actions, they change the world somehow; they leave legacies. Although people will not last forever, the teachings and legacies they leave behind will pass on from generation to generation. And that's why love is not a lie. It very well exists. For without love, the world would be a damn boring place and we wouldn't be considered human."

"And how do you know this?" he asked, his scary aura suddenly disappearing. He looked more like a lost, abandoned, and timid little boy trapped in an old man's body if you ask me.

"Because I'm in love with a boy, and his name is Austin Moon."

**THIS CHAPTER WAS SO BORING IM SORRY ALSO IM SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN A WHILE MY WRITING HAS BECOME SO SLOPPY I APOLOGIZE ANYWAYS HAVE A NICE DAY AND PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS! **


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Ally's POV**

_Music._

I woke up to the soft sounds of a piano and the melodies of the singing birds. Light was streaming through the arched windows of my room, sunlight illuminating the normally dark corners. I could smell the French pastries baking in the kitchens below, as I felt the warmth of the crisp linen blankets that were embracing my bruised body.

"_I'm home,"_ I whispered to myself. The question is: _how?_

I pinched myself to make sure it wasn't a dream…it wasn't. I quickly stood up, my body silently shouting its refusal in the process. Then I slowly made my way down the grand staircase of my home, a thousand thoughts running through my mind. _How did they find me? Where's Austin? How much trouble am I in?_

"ALLY!" I quickly turned around and saw my mom, who seemed much older than usual. She ran towards me and threw her arms around me into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Mom," I whispered, "I…" but what I was going to say? I had no idea.

"Ally," she said, tears streaming down her face, "I'm just glad you're back." She didn't say anything else; she just held me there crying into my hair.

_I've been so selfish_ I thought. Here I was, running around with some guy I had just met, and I forget about my _own parents. _I didn't even warn them! I didn't even think about them _once. _I was my parents' everything. They would do _anything _for me. I was their only daughter, I was their world; and I was selfish enough to forget about them.

"Mom…" I said; I felt the hot tears streaming down my face, "I love you. I don't get to tell you this enough, but I love you okay? And I'm _so_ sorry. I'll do anything, anything at all to have your forgiveness."

She fought through the tears and gave me a small smile, and then she kissed my forehead and led me into the kitchen. "Come," she said, "you look starved."

I followed her through the grand French doors that led into the kitchen, limping in the process. When I entered however, I stopped dead in my tracks.

There was a blonde boy with piercing blue eyes staring at me. He was sitting in my usual spot at the dining table, wearing familiar pink pajamas with hearts all over them. He had bruises all over his face and arms, and he had scars in his heart and brain from a dad that put them there. He had soft hands that I had held, and soft lips that I had kissed. He was the boy that had the capabilities to make me absolutely speechless. He was the boy that I loved.

**xXx**

"Austin," I said, "wha- what are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too," he smiled.

I walked over to him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. I missed that feeling; it felt like forever since I last saw him, since I last _touched_ him.

"Your dad and I agreed that he could stay here," my mom said. I suddenly remembered my mom was still in the room, and I suddenly regretted planting that kiss on Austin. I wonder if my parents knew I was dating Austin. _Am I dating Austin?_

"I promise it's only for the meantime ," Austin said.

"Oh don't worry about it," mom smiled, "we're perfectly fine with it."

"I'm perfectly fine with it," I said, taking Austin's hands.

"_Ahem," _I turned around to see my dad standing by the doorway. I quickly got up and ran towards him, wrapping my arms around his body into a soft embrace. ``I thought we agreed on no boyfriends yet?"

"Nice to see you too dad," I smiled.

**xXx**

I found Austin playing the piano in my room. I hadn't seen him all afternoon. Somehow, he had snuck out of the kitchen while my parents and I were spending some quality family time together.

"We need to talk," he said.

"My parents told me everything already," I said.

"Oh."

And my parents _had_ told me everything: how Austin had managed to grab hold of a phone while his dad and I were discussing, how the police had entered the house and arrested Austin's dad, how I was found nearly beaten to death on the floor, how Austin was locked in a room tied to the post of a bed, and how I was unconscious for an entire week.

"You didn't tell me you played the piano," I said, joining him on the piano bench.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered. "I thought I would never talk to you again."

"Without saying goodbye to you?" I laughed, "not going to happen."

He smiled at me and kissed me softly on the lips. Then he started playing me songs, whispering soft lullabies into my ears as I lay my head against his shoulders. Soon, minutes turned into hours. Austin had stopped playing the piano and just held me there.

I didn't want him to stop holding me, I wanted him to hold me there forever, soothe comforting words into my ear. I just wanted to disappear into him and hug him for a really, really, really, long time.

"Austin don't leave," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "Please just stay here with me."

Austin kissed my forehead and placed his hand in mine.

Before I knew it, I was kissing him, and he was kissing me back. His arms wrapped around my waist as he led me to my bed.

We didn't do _it_ if that's what you were thinking. We were just lying there kissing with our arms wrapped around each other; listening to each other's hearts beating in the process.

It's easy to take off all your clothes and have sex. People do it all the time. But opening up your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes, and dreams…now that's being naked. And that's what Austin and I were doing, disappearing into each other in the most innocent phrase possible.

And then one by one, little by little, I slowly slipped away from consciousness and fell into a very deep sleep.

"Goodbye Ally," Austin whispered.

I swear I heard a car driving away.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Ally's POV**

"Ally? Earth to Allyyyyy!"

"What is it Trish?" I asked, turning around to face my best friend.

"What has gotten into you? You've seen…down for the past two weeks."

_I had been down_ I thought to myself. It had been 2 long weeks since I last saw Austin Moon. I even tried looking for him, checking all the spots he had shown me on our overnight adventures. I even checked his house.

But Austin Moon was nowhere to be seen.

"Ally?" Trish asked.

I had started crying…IN THE MIDDLE OF MY MATH CLASS! Trish then got up to her feet and comforted me, wrapping her arms around me.

The tears started coming harder now; Trish's comforting gesture had triggered it all. Her simple embrace brought me back to the times when I was in Austin's arms; when I placed my head to his chest and it felt really protective and warm like gosh darnit it was the greatest shit in the entire world.

And it was gone.

"Ally, Trish, what is going on here?" Mrs. Turner asked.

"We, uh, we…" Trish stammered.

"My dog just died I'm sorry," I whispered.

"I'm sorry for your loss Allyson, but we are in the middle of class! If you wish, you can have a visit with the counselor."

"That would be great, thank you," I smiled.

Then I stood up and grabbed my stuff, quickly running down the halls, a thousand thoughts running through my head. I ran, and I ran, and I ran. I ran until I found myself sitting in my car crying until my eyes could no longer produce tears.

"Counselor," I smirked to myself, wiping the tears of my face; "more like a nice little trip to the jail."

xXx

"May I speak to Ralph Moon?" I asked the guard at the front desk.

"And who might you be?" he scowled.

"Ally Dawson," I replied.

He gave me a skeptical glare before disappearing into the jail cells. Finally after a few minutes, he gestured for me to follow him.

"How do you know Ralph?" the jail guard asked me.

"He's uh, my boyfriend's dad," I answered.

"Oh yeah?" he smirked, "can't believe that bastard even had kids."

"Well he's actually his stepdad," I answered, "and why do you say that?"

"Because I went to school with him, always knew he would end up in a place like this," he whispered.

Then we finally arrived into a sterile room where absolutely everything was white.

And that's when I saw Austin's stepdad glaring at me. The last time I had laid eyes on him was when he beat me to near death. I was just about to run at him and make him a human punching bag, when I noticed that there was a wall of glass separating us.

I had seen rooms like this on tv shows, when you wanted to talk to someone who was in jail, you would talk to them through some hole in the wall. And just when you started getting to the good questions, the jail guards would say your time was up. So that's when I figured that it was probably going to be the same for me.

I figured that there was probably a time limit the jail guards hadn't mentioned, so it meant that I had to ask the right questions. And then I sat down into the chair and stared into my enemy's eyes.

_Oh this is going to be good._

xXx

"Ahhh, Ally Dawson," Austin's dad smiled.

"Promise me you'll answer all my questions to full detail and in all honesty and I'll find a way to get you out of here," I growled.

"No proper hello?" he smirked.

"_I'm not playing a game here," _I said in a dead-serious tone, "and I'm not joking when I say I'll find a way to get you out of here."

He looked at me for a few minutes, wondering whether or not he should accept my offer. Honestly, I wanted to yell at him to hurry up because the clock was surely ticking and I was in _no _mood to waste time. Finally, he looked up and gave me a small grin.

"Ask away."

"When I fell unconscious, what did you and Austin do?"

"We talked about you," he said. "He really loved you, you know? Never stopped talking about you, not once. I tried getting him to shut up, but the boy wouldn't stop, he wouldn't even get up! He just stayed by your side whispering weird things."

"What were those things?" I asked.

"Something like: _"I promise I'll come back to you" _and _"she'll love you"_" he said.

_She'll love me? _Who is 'she' and why would she love me?

"What else did you talk about?" I asked.

"Stuff you wouldn't understand."

"TELL ME!" I screamed, unable to control the salty tears that were dripping down my face.

"You're asking me pointless questions Ally," he said.

"SHUT UP AND JUST TELL ME WHERE AUSTIN IS PLEASE!" I screamed. Then I dropped to the floor and rolled myself into a ball. The pain was unbearable by this point, it felt like the world was crashing down on me and I couldn't do anything about it; the weight of it all was slowly going to crush me soon.

"What do you mean? Is Austin gone?" he said, fear creeping into his voice.

"AND WHY WOULD YOU CARE? YOU'VE NEVER CARED! STOP ACTING STUPID AND JUST TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" I screamed, throwing myself into the glass wall and banging my fists against it.

"I knew it," he whispered to himself.

"KNOW WHAT?" I sobbed.

And then I saw a 3 jail guards enter and grab Austin's dad's arms.

"KNOW WHAT!" I repeated.

"GET THE BOOKS ALLY! EVERYTHING'S IN THE BOOKS!"

And then he was gone.

**4 days later…**

My parents found me locked up in my room. I was starved, dehydrated, and there were bruises all over my arms and legs. They were so scared that they immediately rushed me to the hospital.

Apparently I had attempted to commit suicide. The doctors said that I was in a 'state of shock' and that I was saying non-sensical phrases. I looked at my arms and found deep gashes from what seemed to be a knife embedded onto my skin. Blood was caked on my fingernails, and there were purple bruises all over my legs.

_I tried to kill myself _I thought. _I tried to end my life over some boy!_

"ALLY!" I heard someone scream. And then I saw my best friend running towards me, arms outstretched with tears streaking down on her face.

"YOU WEREN'T TALKING AND YOU WERE PARALYZED AND OHMYGOD I'M JUST GLAD YOU'RE BACK!"

"I'm so sorry Trish," I whispered, "I've been such a terrible friend."

"Damn right you have! But I forgive you; just promise me you'll _never _try to kill yourself again over your dog!"

"I promise," I laughed, wrapping my arms around her.

"I got the books you were asking for," Trish said. "You called me when you were at the counselor's office remember? Well…I got them. I was going to read them to you because maybe it would snap you out of your trance, but now you're awake."

"Thanks Trish," I smiled. Then she gave me a weak smile and left the room.

And then I started reading.

xXx

They weren't books. They were journals. They were journals written by the one and only Austin Moon, and they were absolutely amazing.

There were 14 journals in total, all filled with messy handwriting and torn up paper. Some pages had been burned, some pages held pictures, and some pages had ink drooping down the pages suggesting that he had been crying while writing them.

It was 3AM in the morning when I stumbled upon the last page of all of the journals. I finally came to the conclusion that they weren't really journals, no; they were his mind broken up into 14 pieces. And then with a deep breath, I read the final page.

_Ally hasn't woken up yet, I'm not sure if she ever will. The police barged into the hell hole yesterday and arrested Ralph…wrong timing. We were actually getting along for once. But it doesn't matter now; I'm never going to see him again._

_ Ally's parents told me I could stay with them for as long as I needed. The truth is I only need a few days. I'm just waiting for the day Ally finally wakes up…and then I'll say my final goodbye._

_ I've been contemplating whether or not I should take Ally with me, I'm sure she wouldn't mind driving to Los Angeles with me. But then she'll just get bored with me and leave me. No one ever stays with me, that's why I'm better off alone. _

_ Ally. Sometimes I wish I didn't meet her. I didn't know it was this possible to feel something so extraordinary for someone. Shit I think I'm in love with her._

_ But I'm just going to leave her. What kind of love is that?_

_ Maybe it's not meant to be, I'm sure she'll forget about me. She's beautiful inside and out and one day, she's going to find a boy who'll offer her everything I can't afford to give her. Maybe it was just meant to be this way. _

_ However, I just want Ally to know that I love her. I love her so much that it makes my insides melt, it makes me feel numb. I love her so much that I can't even describe my love for her. And even though we had a limited time together, I promise that I will never forget her. I will always have the same amount of feelings for her. And even though she'll eventually forget about me, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't forget about her too. I love her, I love her so much. And I always will. _

_ But now I have to go, and I'm just going to focus on the one thing that I have control of._

_ My mom, she's alive. _

And we're going to find her together Austin.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Ally's POV**

Before I moved to Miami, I lived in Los Angeles. I grew up in the city, and ever since I left it, I always grieved for it. I promised the friends that I had left behind that they shouldn't be crying, that I would only be gone temporarily, and that I would return to pursue my college career there. I didn't think however, that I would have returned so quickly.

My parents grudgingly bought me a plane ticket to LA; the reason being was because they insisted that I go find Austin. I guess in the times that I was unconscious; they were seemingly brought together in their grieving.

"Don't worry," I said, kissing my mom and dad on the cheeks; "I know how to take care of myself. This is what you always wanted remember? To see your one and only daughter, grow up to be an independent and fearless woman capable of extraordinary deeds. I'm now fulfilling it, I hope you'll understand." And then with one last hug, I boarded the plane without a single glance back, hearing the faint sobs erupting from my mother.

xXx

"Ally! You look beautiful!" my auntie Clarita said as she opened the door. I used to live with my aunt and uncle because my parents were always gone on business trips. Needless to say, I was closer to my aunt and uncle than I was to my own parents.

"I missed you so much!" I squealed, running up to her and giving her a gigantic hug. Then I looked over my auntie's shoulder to find my cousin Cassidy giving me a huge grin. "Cassidy!" I screamed; "You look _damn _fine," I smiled, nudging her shoulder.

"Well what can I say?" she joked, flicking her hair. And then she grabbed me into a bone-crushing hug.

Cassidy and I had an inseparable bond. We laughed, cried, joked, and went to school together. She knew all of my secrets and I the same. However none of them, my aunt and uncle, Cassidy, Trish, knew why I was in LA. My parents told them I was there for a little visit, that I grew emotionally unstable in Miami (my parents are WAY too dramatic), so I just played along. None of them knew about Austin, and they didn't need to. Austin would've liked that, he's just a naturally secluded person.

Austin. I let his name soak into my brain for a few seconds, and with his name, came all of our memories. I suddenly remembered about my mission, why I was in LA in the first place.

My parents only gave me 5 days to find Austin, any more time after that and they would get the FBI to go and find me (literally). So I decided that I would go out tonight onto the streets of LA, scavenging for him. Tonight would be the night I repeated to myself. Tonight, I find Austin.

xXx

I could hear the wind rustling the palm trees through the open window that night. I used to be afraid of the wind, scared that it would blow me away and carry me to the oceans and drown me there. I always had strange fears I thought to myself. Now my fear was forever losing the one person that I loved, and not being able to find him.

I slowly got out of my bed, careful not to make any noise and wake up Cassidy who was sleeping in the bed next to mine. I grabbed a flashlight, my cellphone, and my wallet and tiptoed my way to the door.

Once I was outside of the room, I crept down the rickety grand staircase that led into the main foyer below. I grabbed my shoes and decided that I would put them on outside, so as to not make any more noise. I grabbed a set of keys that was hidden inside a cookie jar, and slowly made my way to the kitchen. The patio doors were always the best place to escape, they never made any noise.

I unlocked the patio doors and slid them open, stepping out into the Los Angeles moonlight. The air felt so foreign I thought, it was so dry compared to Miami's insane humidity.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Cassidy smirked behind me.

"For a walk," I said. "You want to come?"

"Miss Ally Dawson," she smiled, raising her eyebrows; "you were always a horrendous liar. Now stop fidgeting and start the car, we're looking for a boy tonight."

xXx

"How did you know I was looking for a boy?" I questioned, glaring at Cassidy from the passenger seat, the moonlight illuminating her pale features and her blonde hair. It strangely reminded me of Austin I thought.

"So it _is _a boy," she smiled. Then: "lucky guess."

"Still…"

"Look Ally, I never believed that 'emotionally unstable' theory. You're one of the strongest girls I know, moving to a new town and getting bullied isn't going to get at you. It's either you were here for a mission, or you begged your parents to come see me. The minute I heard you trying to escape tonight, I confirmed that you were on a mission. Geez, you move to Miami and you're suddenly an international spy."

"Not exactly," I laughed, unable to contain the grin that was spreading across my face; "more like an accidental-and-desperate-spy-looking-for-her-helpl ess-and-more-desperate-boyfriend."

"So," she grinned, "how gorgeous is this boyfriend of yours?"

"I don't know," I whispered. And I really didn't. I didn't know what condition Austin was in right now, I didn't even know if he was in LA, let alone if he was alive. I hate myself for thinking that.

Cassidy stayed silent after that, she had understood what I meant. It was like we were hit with a sudden gust of solemnness. Finally, she made a right-hand turn into an abandoned outdoor movie theatre.

"Why are we here?" I whispered, scared that someone was maybe creeping up on us, listening to our every word. The place just gave you that kind of eerie feeling.

"This is where I go when I need to recollect my thoughts," she said. "No one lives near here, not even homeless people. People try to stay away from it."

"Why?" I asked.

"Before this was a movie theatre, it was used as a place to torture people. Many people died here. Some people say that this is a one way ticket to hell, that the ghosts will invade your spirit and take your soul."

"AND YOU USE THIS A PLACE TO RECOLLECT YOUR THOUGHTS?" I screamed. I wanted out, igniting the car and forcing Cassidy to drive the hell out of there. I hated anything related to horror.

However she just erupted into fits of laughter, grabbing her stomach and started making weird wheezing noises. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she was having a heart attack.

"HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" she screamed, bursting into laughter all over again.

Halloween I thought. I completely forgot. All my constant fear and worrying over Austin had made me lose track of time altogether. It was like I was in a world of my own, trapped inside a hell with only me and my paralyzing fears.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed, however I too started giggling. Once all the laughter died down, she jumped out of the car and pulled me out.

"I didn't wake up and drive all the way to the other side of Los Angeles to scare you though," she said, looping her arm into mine. "Come, I need to show you something."

I followed her until I was standing inside a restaurant. With cotton candy, popcorn machines, drink machines, fries, everything.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Well, when the theatre shut down, my parents bought the place and restored everything. This all happened when you moved to Miami, it's our own little secret. Now come on, there's something else I need to show you."

Once again she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a secluded room in the back.

"Last week, a new kid came to my school. He was _insanely _cute, so I went up to him. We grew kind of close and I learnt that he was looking for someone. I offered him the opportunity of staying at my house, he didn't take it. So instead, he stays in here. I think I want to ask him out."

"Can I meet him?" I asked, smiling at my cousins act of generosity.

"Of course! _Austin!" _she said, knocking on the door.

Suddenly my heart stopped beating (for a few moments at least); I didn't know what I was thinking, that maybe it was _my _Austin? It all made sense in those few seconds that I had the chance to think. _A new student…that he was looking for someone. _

Suddenly the whole world came crashing down on me as the door opened, revealing a wide eyed, blonde haired boy. _He was handsome _I thought. _He was also my boyfriend._

Before I knew it, strong but at the same time, gentle, arms were wrapped around me. They were so familiar that I began crying; my emotions all coming out at once. It was like the moments that I spent in grief were suddenly gone; my heart felt lighter, and for once, the world made sense.

Then soft and gentle lips find mine. He lifts me up, his warm hands scaling down my back. He laughs into another kiss, and I feel strong, but so does he. The night air slips into my lungs, and I feel like it is one of my first breaths.

"Well _that _was unexpected," Cassidy said.

**A/N: I hoped you guys liked that chapter! Also, I decided that I will not update until it gets to 85 reviews (so share it with your friends or something)…or until I REALLY want to update. Think you guys can do it? LOL have a nice day(:**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Weeeell Auslly shippers…this one's for you, a long awaited chapter. ENJOY!**

**Chapter 16**

**Ally's POV**

_"Well that was unexpected," _Cassidy said. I can see a look of disgust on her face.

My arms are still wrapped around Austin's body as I turn to look towards her, giving a small smile in her direction.

"Umm, I uhh…I'm really happy for you Ally," Cassidy whispers, although the look in her eyes suggests pain.

"Cassidy…" I trail, not knowing what to say next. And I don't. I love Austin and I shouldn't be ashamed of it, nor should I deny or hide it.

"Thanks Cassidy," Austin says, breaking the awkward silence. "Seriously, thank you. If there's anything you ever need just tell me, I'll be happy to help."

Cassidy gives a shy smile and leaves without another word. There are so many thoughts running through my mind as I stare at her figure slowly disappearing with every step she takes, but all I am able to mutter is "well shit."

Austin lets out a small laugh into my hair, his arms still wrapped around my waist trapping me into place.

"You know I'm mad at you right?" I say, untangling myself from his arms. "I almost died Austin! And when I finally woke up, you gave me such a great feeling of reassurance, of hope, that things could _finally _go back to normal. And then just like that, you escape to the other side of the country without a single damn goodbye!"

"I know," Austin whispers.

"_You what?" _I yell, unable to contain the frustration creeping into my voice. "You obviously didn't! Austin, I thought we agreed on the fact that we trust each other!"

"What does this have to do with trust Ally?" he screams, I can see some tears running down his face. Suddenly all I see is a little boy who is made up entirely of broken pieces, shattered and broken from all the memories and people that placed them there. Suddenly I wanted to run up to him and give him a hug. A really, really long one.

But I didn't. I just stand there watching him break down, afraid of losing me. Afraid of losing the one person that noticed him. That took the time and effort to get to know him. Afraid of losing the girl that was as fearless as to confront his abusive dad, the girl who would give up her life for him. The girl would go all the way from sea to sea to find him. The boy who was afraid of losing the only girl he ever loved.

"Austin," I say, walking up to him and running my fingers along the sides of his face. It feels so good to touch him again. It's like every little crevice is an entrance to the starry oblivion above. "Look at me. I forgive you ok? "

"Tell me more," he whispers, his face inches away from mine.

"I'll tell you this. Austin Monica Moon you have been struggling your whole damn life, but that does not at all mean that you are a burden, that you are a waste of space. It doesn't make you unlovable or undesirable or undeserving of care. Everyone struggles. Everyone has a difficult time coping, and at times, we fall apart. Yes, you may sometimes be unpleasant or difficult. And yes, you may sometimes do or say things that make the people around you feel helpless or sad, but those things aren't all of who you are and they certainly don't discount your worth as a human being. The truth is that you can be struggling and still be loved. You can be difficult and still be cared for. You can be less than perfect, and still be deserving of compassion and kindness. You're never alone and someone in the world loves you very, very much."

Then he slides his hand over my cheek, one finger anchored behind my ear. Then he tilts his head down and brushes his lips against mine. "I love you Ally," he whispers.

"Say it again," I say, tracing circles along the bottom of his jaw.

"I love you so much Ally. The first time I saw you, I hated you. I thought you were just like everyone else. But then you hit me with a book and that's when I realized that you were brave, you were different, and that you had eyes so beautiful it was like staring into a whole other galaxy. You took the time to know me, you didn't give up on me, and you understood me. You are smart, you are beautiful, and you give me this great feeling that other boys simply don't understand. Whenever you speak, you have this great light in your eyes. It's like a spark of determination, and it inspires me to be a less irritable person. I love you so much that whenever I'm in your presence, my hands start to shake and I can't understand why. I love you so much that I can't possibly describe my love to you without fucking up. So just know that I love you, I love you a lot."

Then I take his face and kiss him, and he kisses me back. I press into the distance between us until it is gone, crushing the secrets we have kept and the suspicions we have harbored for good.

"You know for some reason, I hate kissing you," I say, my face inches away from his.

"And why is that?" he asks, a funny look creeping onto his face.

"I hate standing on my tippy-toes, it hurts."

"Then I might as well do this."

Suddenly I am lifted off of the ground and my body is hanging off of Austin's shoulders. I can't help but let out a laugh, and that's when I realize how foreign laughing suddenly feels.

"Let me down!" I scream, banging my fists against his back. But all he does is laugh and kisses the top of my head.

Finally, he lets me down and we sit at a booth in the abandoned diner of the drive-in-theatre.

"I'm guessing you found my journals," he says, playing with my fingers.

"I just want to know how you found out about your mom," I say.

"It's simple, my dad told me."

"And you believed him?" I laugh in a mock tone.

"I guess I was just desperate," he sighs. "While you were unconscious, my dad said there were reports that she was spotted in Los Angeles with a new family. They were right."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I found her Ally. I went to the police station and they took me to her. I found her at her own doorstep and she acted like she didn't know me. I hate her. I HATE HER!" he screams, his fists banging against the table.

I don't know what to say, and I think it's better that way. So I just hug him instead, wrapping my small arms around his body. Then I nestle up to him to make sure there is no space hanging between us. In that moment, I just want to disappear into him, to reassure him that he is not alone; to reassure him in anything that he needs reassuring in.

"Shhhh," I whisper into his ear. I grab his hand and guide it to my chest. "Feel my heartbeat. Can you feel it?"

"Yes."

Then I give him a kiss, sending a warm ache through my body. His fingers slide into my hair, and I hold on to his arms to stay steady as we press our bodies together. He is stronger than anyone I know, and more gentle than anyone else realizes. I touch his cheek to slow the kiss down, afraid of feeling his warm skin against mine. I savor the air we share in the second afterwards.

He opens his eyes to look at me. I want to touch him, but I am afraid of his bareness; afraid that he will make me bare too.

"Is this scaring you Ally?"

"No," I croak.

"Well I can feel your heartbeat, and it's pretty fast."

"Ok," I say. "Maybe it is."

Then he grabs me by the shoulders and pushes me towards him. I feel something other than fear- a prickle in my stomach, a bubble of laughter. I press against him and kiss him, my hands wrapping around his arms. He feels so good.

"It's okay," he laughs, "I am too."

Eventually we fall asleep, our fingers intertwined with each other's. But in that split second between conscious and unconscious, I swear I heard footsteps creeping up, a weapon in hand.

**LOL WAS THAT GOOD? IDK IM SO UNEXPERIENCED WITH THESE KINDS OF THINGS…**

**I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK OF THE STORY SO FAR, REVIEWS PLEASE?**

**Oh and random question but what songs do you think would sound good with this story?**

**Haaaave a nice day!**


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